When You Come Back Down
by A. Leanne Vast
Summary: A Rush Of Blood To The Head Series, Episode 2. (Episode 1, Returns and Departures should be read first.) In this episode, Dean and Sam are hunting a monster that is killing pregnant women and Dean realizes that he was a real ass to Castiel (in Episode 1). This is my first attempt at a casefic.
1. Shut Up

**A/N: Here is the newly revamped second episode in my series, A Rush Of Blood To The Head. I highly recommend reading the first episode, Returns and Departures, before reading this episode. If you don't, you won't really know what's going on.**

**This was my first attempt at writing a casefic, so I'm going to ask you to bear with me. I have gotten better at this, and I will hopefully continue to get better ;-)**

**Also, I used names of real towns, but if I used the names of streets, buildings, or people and they are actually real, that was completely coincidental!**

**As a reminder: Sam's (and Dean's Mind!Sam's) thoughts are in BOLD, Dean's thoughts are **_ITALICIZED_**, and Cas's thoughts are **UNDERLINED**. And disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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**Series:****_ A Rush of Blood To The Head_**

**Episode Two: ****_When You Come Back Down_*******

**Part One: ****_Shut Up_********

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Beer bottles and the smell of boredom filled the motel room. Dean and Sam had not had a case, or any new information on the Leviathan situation, in nearly three weeks. Just stilling and waiting was becoming painful for both Winchesters.

Dean flipped through all fourteen channels the motel received; nothing held his interest. He couldn't watch porn with his brother in the room, but then again, he had seen all of them before. Twice. Dean even resorted to reading Sam's books; each and every one of them. And there was no way he was going to go to a bar in that town. If there was one thing he learned while working a case in that two-bit town, it was that everyone in the goddamn place was grumpy. Like, give-you-a-death-glare-just-for-looking-at-them kind of grumpy. Dean did not like drinking with grumpy people; they just made him depressed.

Dean thought about going for a drive, but he feared that if he got in the car, he would have an irresistible urge to leave the town in his rearview mirror - minus Sam, unwilling to go back and get his brother because he hated the goddamn place so fucking much. He just wanted out of there.

So Dean merely sat with his head on the cheap wooden table, staring at the tacky paneled walls completely zoned out. Or mostly zoned out. Dean was doing his best to not think about the blowout he had with Castiel a month prior and how he had not seen the angel since. He wondered where Cas was, but Dean would not pray to him. It was a pride thing. A pathetic, idiotic male pride thing.

Sam had been searching on his laptop, - as he had the past three weeks - digging through non-supernatural sounding incidents, and finally found something up their alley. As he read the report, the younger Winchester's eyes widened.

"Uh, hey Dean. Take a look at this."

Dean came to life. "A case?" He bolted out of his chair, which toppled to the floor as he pushed off of it, and quickly made his way around the table to see what Sam was looking at. "You found us a case?" Sam could have sworn Dean was an inch away from pissing his pants in excitement.

"Uh, yeah, maybe. Looks like three pregnant women have been murdered, the last one having been killed about two weeks ago. In each case the babies were cut out of the mother's womb and the women had some of their internal organs removed."

"The article say which organs were taken?"

"Nope. I think the reporter was too focused on the cutting-the-baby-out-of-its-mother's-womb part."

"Okay, I'll take it. Where're we headed?"

Same closed his laptop. "Greenwood, Indiana. It's about eleven hours from here."

Dean clapped Sam on the back, "Awesome, let's go."

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Sam was either asleep or remained silent for his five and a half hours in the passenger seat. But, when it was his turn to drive, the younger Winchester got a little chatty.

"So, Dean, you talking to Cas again yet?"

Dean had his arms crossed and was leaning his head against the window, trying to fall asleep. He was not in the mood for any conversation involving the Angel of Thursday. "I'm trying to sleep, Sammy."

Sam was getting really annoyed with the whole situation between the angel and his brother. "Dean-"

Dean wiggled in his seat. "I said I'm tryin' to sleep here!"

Sam huffed. "Fine. Have a good nap Dean," he said harshly.

The elder Winchester grumbled something Sam could not make out, then promptly fell asleep.

About two hours later, Sam could feel a third presence in the car, and knew who it was without turning around. Sam just let Cas sit quietly in the back seat among the discarded fast food wrappers and empty cups of soda. Just as he was about to say 'hi,' he saw a hand emerge from the backseat and press two fingers to his brother's forehead.

"What did you just do, Cas?"

Cas retracted his hand. "I simply thought it best that we not wake Dean if you and I were going to speak."

"Uh, okay. ... So, long time no see. How have you been?"

Cas sidestepped Sam's question. "Dean hasn't called on me in weeks. I assue that means that you are both fine. And that he still doesn't want to see me." Sam did not confirm what Cas said out loud, but his face must have done that for him. "I see. I'll be leaving then. You will be able to wake your brother as soon as I'm gone."

With a flutter the Angel was gone.

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Sam pulled into the parking lot of the White Oak Motel at around 9:00pm. It was too late to go to the coroner's office, but about the right time to go to a bar.

While Dean sipped his Jack Daniels and ogled the ladies, Sam searched for possible creatures that did to pregnant women what the article had described.

"Depending on which organs were stolen, I think we're dealing with the Armenian Al."

"What's an Armenian Al?"

"The site says that the Al is a creature that cuts out not only the unborn child from the mother's body, it takes the liver, heart, and one lung as well. Apparently the Al puts them into a basket made of straw or reed, then carries everything back to wherever they're living, usually by a river or sand. Then they eat their ... harvest."

Dean's face contorted. "That's just gross. And wrong. And why just one lung?"

Sam shook his head. "No idea."

"Ok. So, what do these bitches look like?"

"In their true form, they have a red face, a nose made of clay, fangs, copper claws, sagging breasts, and the tusks of a wild boar." Sam stated matter-of-factly.

Dean did not like the image that gave him. "Well that doesn't sound creepy."

"Appearently, they can always be seen by pregnant women, but they reveal true form when they are attacked and are fighting back ."

Dean nodded at the computer. "Does it say how to kill 'em?"

Sam shook his head. "Maybe we should ask for some help."

The elder Winchester knew damn well that by 'someone,' his brother meant Cas, and no fucking way was that going to happen. Dean hastily wracked his brain for another solution. "You're right." Sam smiled. "Gabriel should know something." Sam's smile disappeared. "But we should take a look at the bodies and interview witnesses first; find out which organs are missing and if anyone saw anything. When we're sure it's an Al, we'll call Gabriel and ask how to gank it. We wouldn't want to waste any of his time by calling him before we really know what this thing is, what with him being a busy Archangel and all."

Sam gave Dean his **are-you-fucking-kidding-me-this-is-ridiculous-you- need-to-talk-to-Cas** bitch face.

Dean just ignored the expression on his brother's face and finished the rest of his third beer. "I'm tired, I'm gonna head back to the motel." He stood up and put on his jacket. "You coming?"

"Uh, yeah." Sam closed his laptop and followed Dean back to the car.

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*******_When You Come Back Down_**** is a song by Nickel Creek.**

********_Shut Up_**** is a song by Linkin Park**

**A/N: I did not make up Als. They are apparently actually a mythological creature. I just came up with who could see it and how to gank it.**


	2. You And I Know

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**Series One, Episode Two, Chapter Two**

**_You And I Know_*******

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In the autopsy room Dean and Sam found a short a short, round man taking off bloody gloves.

"Agents Still and Henley, FBI," Dean said as he and his brother flashed their fake badges to the Medical Examiner.

The ME's face lit up. "Oh hi! I'm Dr. Fred Yates. How may I be of service to the the Federal Bureau of Investigations?"

"We are looking into the deaths of three pregnant women who had their unborn children cut out of them and some of their organs taken." Sam stated in his FBI voice.

"I remember those cases," the ME said thoughtfully. "Three pregnant woman all strangled, their unborn children carved out of them by some monster who took a few of their organs too." Dr. Yates shook his head. "Those poor women and their families! But, what makes this an FBI case?" He leaned in a little closer. "Is the killer selling the babies and organs or something?"

_Yeah, sure. Let's pretend it's that._ "We're probably not supposed to tell you this, but there has been some ... organ-related activity on the black market lately."

Sam glanced at Dean, **What the fuck?** He looked back at the doctor, "So we were wondering, which organs did the killer take?"

"Whoever did this took the liver, the heart and one lung from each victim. I found it strange, the killer taking only one lung."

"You're not the only on, pal." Dean said.

Sam quickly asked, "It there anything else you can tell us, doctor?"

Dr. Yates looked thoughtful for a moment before he replied, "Nothing really, other than the incisions were made by a someone who know what they were doing. And the Crime Scene Unit found a couple pieces of straw at the scene."

Sam nodded to the doctor, "Thank you Dr. Yates."

"Hope I helped, and I hope you to catch the sick bastard. Let me know if you need anything else."

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Once they were back in the car, Sam told Dean that he was 100% sure they were hunting an Al.

"Think we should call Ca-Gabriel now. Ask him if he knows how to kill it?"

Even though Dean would rather talk to Gabriel than Cas at the moment, he still did not want to deal with the Trickster unless he absolutely had to. That, and a small part of him was afraid of what the Messenger of God would do to him for the way he talked to the Archangel's baby brother.

"We should interview the witnesses first. See if we can get a description of this thing; make sure it's really an Al."

"Dean, it's an Al. Nothing else takes that combination of organs and unborn children from pregnant women. I think we should call Gabriel."

_Fucking Angels._ "How about I drop you off at the motel so you can call Gabriel while I go interview the husbands and neighbors?"

Frustrated, Sam ran a hand through his hair. ** Yeah, Dean, sure, because it's okay and possible to completely avoid angels for the rest of your life.** "Okay, fine. Drop me off at the motel, I'll call Gabriel. You can go interview the husbands and neighbors."

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Sam shut the motel room door. He leaned back against it and closed his eyes. "Gabriel? It's Sam. I was wondering of you could help me out on a case?"

"Sam!" plus an enthusiastic hug was how the Archangel greeted the gigantic Winchester. The force of Gabriel's hug caused Sam to let out an 'umph'. "What'cha need kiddo?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure that we're hunting an Al. You know, the Armenian thing that cuts-"

Gabriel held up a hand, "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know what an Al is Sam, I _have_ been around awhile. What do you need to know?"

"Well, knowing how to kill it would be helpful. I couldn't find that online and I've never seen an entry on Als in any of Bobby's books or in dad's journal. Do you know how to kill it?"

"A, I'm hurt that you would even think think that there was something that I didn't know - other than the whole situation with the Leviathans. And two, shouldn't you be asking for Cassy's help with this kind of thing?"

"Dean still doesn't want to talk to Cas, so he asked me to call you. I don't really feel like calling Cas and then lying about it to Dean. So, this time, I did what Dean wanted."

Gabriel shrugged, "Fair 'nough." The Archangel disappeared then reappeared holding out a box of bullets towards Sam. "These'll kill the bitch."

Sam read the label. "Lead bullets?"

Gabriel looked annoyed, "Yes, lead bullets. Used to be that you had to stab the hag, or Mr. Hag, with lead knives. Now, thanks to those nifty little things called guns, all you have to do is shoot it - once to the head, once to the heart - then salt and burn the body."

The Winchester took the box. "Uh, thanks."

"You're welcome." Gabriel took a step closer to Sam, tilted his head down, and narrowed his eyes. "Everything ok? How's Dean doing? Any inkling that he wants to see Cassy?"

Thinking about their brothers only made Sam frustrated again. "No. It's fucking annoying. I really can't take this bullshit much longer. I'm going to try to get Dean talking one more time. After that, it'll be your turn to think of something." Gabriel gave him his famous Trickster smile. "Crap. You've already got some sort of crazy plan don't you?"

"Oh Sammy, you know me so well."

"How about we use whatever psychotic thing you've come up with as plan B. I-"

Gabriel huffed. "Don't you at least want to hear my plan first?" He held up his hand as if he was swearing on a Bible. "I promise it's not that psychotic."

Sam rolled his eyes. "Fine. What's your plan?"

Gabriel told Sam his plan.

Sam's face went blank. "Plan E. That's going to be plan E."

Gabriel looked hurt. "Not plan B, C, or D?"

"Yeah, no, definitely not."

"'Kay." With a flutter of wings, one of Heaven's fiercest weapons was off.

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***You And I Know is a song by Ra Ra Riot.**

**Fyi, Stephen Stills and Don Henley are both singers. I know Stephen Stills as the singer of Love The One You're With, and Don Henley from the some Boys of Summer.**

**A/N: And no, I'm not working up to any Sabriel business. Sorry Sabriel shippers.**


	3. Stupid

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**Series One, Episode Two, Chapter Three**

**Stupid***

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Dean interviewed all of the victims' husbands and neighbors and came up with nothing. No one had seen anything odd or heard anything suspicious on the days surrounding the days of the victims' deaths. He returned to the motel a few hours after dropping Sam off, figuring he had left his brother alone long enough for the Archangel to have come and gone.

The elder Winchester opened the door to find his younger brother sitting at the kitchen table drinking a beer, bearing an intense stare at his computer screen.

"Did Gabriel tell you how to gank the bitch?" Dean asked.

Sam nodded, "He brought us these." He patted the box of bullets on the table. "Lead bullets. He said in order to kill the Al, we need to shoot them once in the chest, and once in the heart."

"Gabriel actually helped us that much? What, does he have a crush on you or something?"

Sam gagged. Dean laughed.

A few moments went by...

"So... are we going to gank the bitch or not?"

"Dean, we have to be able to find the bitch before we can gank it."

"I know that, I just figured that you, being the smartypants that you are, would have figured out where it is by now."

"Actually... I did. At least I think I did. Turns out all three women shopped at the same baby supplies store. And one of their employees, Francine Hughes, lives in a cabin by Lake Langhofer."

"Ok, I'm going to the bathroom, then we can gank ourselves an Al."

"Yeah, sure thing, Dean."

When Dean went into the bathroom, Sam darted over to the front door, locked it and plopped down in front of the only way out of the room. He took the bullets out of the clip and placed them in his pocket, then put the clip back in the gun and hid it behind his back. Sam was going to take one last crack at trying to get his brother to talk. After all of Dean's protests about calling Cas, the hunter not talking to Sam about the angel, and Dean's comment that Gabriel had a crush on him, Sam was pretty pissed and desperately close to letting Gabriel have his turn at his brother.

Dean came out of the bathroom to find that Sam had parked his giant self in front of the only exit to the room. "Sammy?"

"Dean, we need to talk..."

_God I hope this isn't about Cas._

"...about Cas."

_Fuck!_ "No."

"Yes."

"No!"

"Yes, and I swear to God, Dean, if you say no one more time," Sam took out the gun that he had tucked behind his back, "I'm going to shoot you."

Dean knew that Sam was getting pissed off at the whole 'avoiding Cas' thing, but he doubted that his brother would actually shoot him. "Yeah, right, sure thing Sammy."

"I mean it Dean. I'm getting sick and tired of your bullshit. Now tell me what happened with Cas, or," Sam took off the safety and waved the gun at Dean's knees, "Eeny, Meany, Miney, Mo..."

Sam had a level six bitchface on, but Dean was not worried. "Sammy, stop it."

"...catch a tiger by its toe..."

Dean smiled nervously. "Sammy, I think that's enough."

"...if he hollers..."

"What, did you lose your soul again?" Dean asked as he started to panic.

"...let him go..."

Sam's bitchface went from a level six to a level nine. Now Dean was pretty freaked. "SAM!"

"...Eeny, Meany, Miney..." Sam cocked the hammer...

"Ok-alright-fine! You win! You want to know what happened? Cas told me that I wasn't there for him when he needed me. That's why he went to the King of the Demon Dicks for help. He said that he kept asking for help the only way he could, but I wouldn't listen. But he never asked me directly! He said he couldn't have asked directly because he was an angel and I was a human and God would look down on him for asking or something. But, that doesn't explain how I was supposed to know that he needed help without him sayin' anything!"

Sam thought back on all the times the angel had told them it was bad in Heaven. Realization hit him and he replaced the hammer, put the safety back on, and put the gun on the floor. He closed his eyes and hit his head against the door. "Fuck. Dean, he _was_ trying to tell us something was wrong. He tried so many times but I was just too soulless half the time to care, and the other half of the time I was just as much of a self-involved jerk as you to notice. Cas was right, we should have know something was wrong, that he was asking for help."

Dean thought about that, and replayed every time that Cas had told him about the war in Heaven. He closed his eyes tight. Sam was right, Cas was crying out for help every time he saw them in the only way he could; the only way his Father would have allowed. And he would not listen. Still, telling Sam he was right was out of the question.

Dean sat on the edge of his bed. "So, you're saying this is both our faults?"

"Maybe," Sam answered sincerely. "But I know for sure that we both took him for granted, that we both ignored Cas's needs, and that we both didn't want to see that Cas was having problems too. And his problems were way bigger than ours could have possibly been. Yet he helped us; he put us first." ** Put you first**, Sam silently added. He gave a dark chuckle. "I guess we really are partially to blame. From Cas going to Crowley, to every death caused by the hands - or mouths - of a Leviathan."

Dean sighed. He shook his head, "No, Sam. It isn't _our_ fault, it's mine. You have an excuse for for not noticing it from the beginning, but I didn't. I knew Cas well enough to know that he needed help. I don't know why I didn't even think of asking him if he needed it."

Sam looked over at his brother, the sadness and pain of the situation covered Dean's face and was audible in his voice. "Dean, I think we both need to apologize, but, I think it would mean the most if it came from you."

Dean nodded, not being able to agree with Sam out loud. He would talk to Cas, right after they ganked the fucking Al.

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*******_Stupid_**** is a song by Sarah McLachlan.**


	4. That's What You Get

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**Series One, Episode Two, Part Four**

**_That's What You Get_*******

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Dean parked the car a few minutes walk from the cabin, as not to alert the Al of their presence. The two hunters hid behind trees in front of the cabin: Dean to the left and Sam to the right. On the outside, the cabin looked different than the one the Winchesters had been hiding out in, - it had a porch, a green roof, and greenery covered the walls - but it was roughly the same size. It looked kind of peaceful amongst the tall trees that surrounded it.

After exchanging a glance, the brothers came out from behind their tree, guns drawn with clips full of lead bullets, and quickly snuck up to the house. Dean put his ear to the door; he could hear the TV on. He nodded to Sam and the two kicked down the door.

A boney old lady was sitting in a blue, non-reclined reclining chair near the fireplace. She had a plate on her lap and was watching the television. It looked like she was eating a human liver. She looked at them, screamed and revealed her true form as she stood up. The monster threw the plate at Dean's head. He ducked, and the plate hit the door, barely missing Sam's face.

The Al lunged at the boys, knocked the guns out of their hands, and threw them to the floor. Dean hit his head on the table next to the door as he went down, stunning him. Sam's gun landed a few feet away from him and he scrambled to get it back. He reached for it, but the Al grabbed his wrist and lifted him up. Sam landed a solid blow to her abdomen, but it had no effect.

Dean regained his wits and grabbed his gun. Just as the creature was about to slit his brother's throat with its copper claws, Dean shot her in the heart. When the Al dropped to the floor, Dean put a second bullet into her head. The brothers took the body out back and salted and burned it.

"Bitch got what she deserved," Dean said, staring into the flames.

"And now that that's done, time for you to talk to Cas."

Dean looked to the sky. _Fuck._

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Sam had dropped off Dean at the motel, then went back to the bar they had went to the other night.

"Cas," Dean cleared his throat, "Cas I need to talk to you."

Nothing happened for five minutes. Something twisted inside Dean's gut. It was guilt. He felt guilty for what he did to Cas; for hurting him, for not listening to him, for not realizing that his best friend needed help.

_I guess this is what I get for being such a stupid dick._

A few more minutes went by. Dean flipped open his cell phone and started dialing Sam's number to tell him he could come back to the room. But before he pressed the button to dial, a familiar voice said to him, "Hello Dean."

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***_That's What You Get_ is a song by Paramore.**

**A/N: Please leave me a review before you go and check out the next episode, Haunted.**


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